Paul Leighton
The Salem News, Beverly, Mass.
(TNS)

Feb. 7—BEVERLY — The city is donating a fire truck to Ukraine as part of a national effort to help the country replace emergency vehicles that have been destroyed in the war against Russia.

The Beverly City Council on Monday voted in favor of declaring a 2002 fire truck as surplus so that it can be donated to an organization called US Ambulances for Ukraine.

“It’s just a tremendous opportunity,” Beverly fire Chief Peter O’Connor said during a City Council meeting at City Hall. “I can’t say how fortunate we are to live where we live. We can’t imagine going through what’s happening in other parts of the world.”

O’Connor said he learned of the effort to donate ambulances and fire trucks to Ukraine from Ipswich fire Chief Paul Parisi during a meeting of the Essex County Fire Chiefs Association. US Ambulances for Ukraine started last year in Illinois and has shipped more than 30 ambulances and one fire engine to the country, according to the organization. O’Connor reached out to the group and arranged to have the Beverly truck donated.

The group said it has received requests for the vehicles from all over Ukraine. The ambulances have been used by at least seven combat units, two fire departments and two hospitals, including in areas of major combat. One fire truck was donated to a fire station in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine that lost five trucks in an attack.

The truck being donated by Beverly was purchased in 2001 to serve as Engine 1 at the city’s headquarters fire station. It responded to roughly 1,800 calls per year during its 10 years in service, according to the city. For the last several years it has been used only as a reserve when one of the primary trucks went down. The truck has more than 106,000 miles and is valued at about $4,000.

O’Connor said it was replaced by a new truck last year.

The UA Resistance, a nonprofit that assists Ukraine, will facilitate transporting the truck to Baltimore for shipment overseas.

From there, US Ambulances for Ukraine will deliver the truck to a city in Ukraine.

Mayor Mike Cahill said in a press release that he is glad that Beverly is in a position to help the people of Ukraine.

“These trucks often sell at auction for less than $3,000 and are used for parts,” Cahill said. “We have an opportunity to provide a potentially life-saving piece of equipment to the people of Ukraine, and we are honored to do so.”

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

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LAKEVILLE, MINN. [February 8, 2023] – ImageTrend, Inc., a growing, market-leading software solutions and services provider in the public safety and healthcare communities, announced an equity investment from Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (“WCAS”), a leading technology and healthcare-focused private equity firm.  WCAS’s investment seeks to help accelerate growth, further product innovation, and maintain the best-in-class software and customer service that ImageTrend is known for.  The Company intends to utilize the investment to create new solutions that will benefit the industries and clients ImageTrend serves.

Dedicated to the mission of connecting life’s most important data, ImageTrend delivers software solutions, data analytics, and services to EMS, hospital, fire, mobile integrated healthcare/community paramedicine (MIH/CP), critical care, licensing, billing/revenue cycle management, and emergency preparedness personnel.  ImageTrend’s suite of solutions facilitate a fully connected, patient-centric healthcare and public safety continuum.

With 25 years of experience in developing enterprise software, ImageTrend’s commitment to their clients, innovation, and world-class service has enabled the Company to deliver its solutions at the federal, state, regional, city, and organizational level, both in the private and public sector.  The Company serves 40+ states and nearly 3,000 customers in the U.S. and internationally.  Collaborating with WCAS, a firm with deep domain expertise in enterprise software and healthcare, aims to create strong alignment for continued organic growth and expansion to best serve these customers.

“We are excited to partner with WCAS to collectively bring our connected vision to healthcare and public safety,” said Joe Graw, ImageTrend’s President and Chief Executive Officer.  “It’s an honor to lead innovation that directly benefits the safety of our communities and the overall health of the population.”

“WCAS is excited about our investment in ImageTrend, a market leader in the public safety space.  We are impressed with the Company’s suite of mission critical software solutions, its deep customer relationships, and the breadth of industry experience from leadership.  We are thrilled to support Joe and the existing management team’s vision of building and delivering world-class software and analytics solutions into the public safety and healthcare end markets,” said WCAS General Partner Ryan Harper. 

WCAS General Partner Ed Sobol added “ImageTrend sits at the intersection of the Technology and Healthcare industries, the two industries in which WCAS focuses on building durable, innovative, and market-leading companies. Given the increasing importance surrounding pre-hospital data access in improving patient outcomes across the healthcare continuum, we look forward to partnering with ImageTrend to continue the advancement of their vision to connect life’s most important data.”

Concurrent with WCAS’s investment into ImageTrend, Ryan Harper, Ed Sobol, Sanjay Palakshappa, and Betty Vo will join the Board of Directors alongside ImageTrend Founder Mike McBrady and CEO Joe Graw.

Baird acted as the financial advisor to ImageTrend.  Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel and Shea & Co. served as financial advisor to WCAS.

To learn more about ImageTrend, visit www.imagetrend.com.

About ImageTrend, Inc.  www.imagetrend.com

ImageTrend, Inc. is dedicated to connecting life’s most important data in the healthcare and emergency response community. ImageTrend delivers software solutions, data analytics and services for EMS, hospitals, community paramedicine (CP), critical